Dirk Nowitzki Opens Up About Luka Doncic Deal: 'This Trade Really Hurt'

Nowitzki, like most Mavericks fans, was not happy about the team trading Doncic.

Former Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) greets former player Dirk Nowitzki. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki was among those greatly affected by the Mavericks' decision to trade Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. Like the rest of the NBA, Nowitzki was shocked and his phone was blowing up when he found out that Doncic had been traded.

Nowitzki recalled to his sister, Silke Mayer, on the 41 Campus podcast that he was on vacation when the news about Doncic broke.

"I don’t think anyone saw it coming that the Mavs would ever trade Luka," Nowitzki told Mayer. "So for me, it was totally unexpected, completely out of nowhere. I was so stunned that I just put everything aside. We were supposed to go for a quick lunch with the family before flying out, but instead, I sat in my room for an hour, scrolling through X, trying to figure out if it was real."

Nowitzki spent his entire NBA career with the Mavericks and led Dallas to a championship in 2011. Doncic was expected to do the same, and it's what he planned on until the Mavericks pulled off the shocking decision to trade him.

Though Nowitzki remains loyal to the Mavericks, he did admit their decision to trade Doncic "hurt."

"It was such a strange situation," Nowitzki said. "I was standing in that empty stadium, and then he ran onto the court—in yellow. It was just an unbelievably bizarre moment for me. And of course, it’s going to take weeks and months before it starts to feel a little more normal. It’s a tough situation, but in my tweet, I made it clear—I will always be a Mavs fan. But this trade really hurt. And it will take a while before everyone processes it and moves on.”

Nowitzki has also chosen to support Doncic by attending his first game with the Lakers. Though he acknowledges it was strange seeing Doncic playing for another team, he wanted to ensure that Doncic knows their friendship is still in-tact, despite the Mavericks' decision.

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